The Unseen
by CMlvr93
Summary: One night leads to a misunderstanding and J.J. and Morgan finally realizing their true feelings for each other. JJ/Morgan
1. Chapter 1

**My newest story! I've got a couple chapters done already and I'll try to keep updating regularly, but I can't promise anything. Please let me know what you think of this first chapter! :) And about the title...I'm not entirely sure how it fits into the story, but it just came to mind and wouldn't go away. Somehow I think it works.**

**I do not own Criminal Minds! **

The elite BAU team of profilers had just finished one of their more difficult cases. After catching their unsub and handing him over to the local police they had all decided to wait and fly back home the next day. They'd take the rest of that night to rest and forget about what they'd seen the previous week. Child cases were hard on the whole team, but this one, everyone knew, had really hit home for Morgan. Their unsub had kidnapped, raped, tortured, and killed teenage boys. Instead of going back to the motel like his colleagues did when it was all finally over Derek Morgan went to a bar.

~*CM*~

Jennifer 'J.J.' Jareau was sound asleep in her motel room when a loud knocking at the door woke her up. She groaned and looked to the bedside table at the digital clock that read 2:15AM. _Please don't let it be Hotch with another case_ she thought as she managed to drag herself out of bed and over to the door. She looked through the peephole in the door and, confused, mumbled a quick 'What the-' while opening door to reveal a disheveled Derek Morgan who smelled of alcohol.

"I'm sorry to wake you J.J. I just." He stopped mid-sentence and lightly touched the still barely bleeding cut just above his left eyebrow.

J.J. didn't ask questions at first. She gently grabbed his arm and lead him into the small bathroom in her room. After turning the light on she proceeded to clean the wound and cover it with a small band-aid she managed to find. "What happened?" She finally said.

"I went to a bar." He started.

"I can tell." She cut him off, to which he just glared at her before continuing.

"I got in a fight." J.J. waited for him to continue, to elaborate, to say anything more, but Morgan stared at her, seemingly finished with his story.

"About what?" She didn't want to interrogate him, but she wanted to help. She wanted him to talk to her and she wanted to know what happened.

His brow furrowed at her question. "I don't know." he said and he really didn't.

It was then in Morgan's drunken state that he allowed himself to notice things he normally wouldn't. J.J.'s golden hair, though mussed from sleep, begged him to run his fingers through it. She looked great in the pajama bottoms and tank top she wore and he didn't know why she bothered with make up. She was beautiful even without it.

Derek Morgan found himself taking one tiny step towards J.J., his friend _and_ his colleague, after another until their faces were mere inches apart. With her eyes casting a curious gaze over him he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her to him, and brushed his lips to hers.

J.J. knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't resist and, after all, he _was_ letting her make the decision. He hadn't kissed her yet and she wanted him to so instead of slapping him and pushing him away as he anticipated her to she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Morgan couldn't believe she hadn't slapped him. Only when the need for oxygen became more than the want for the kiss did they break apart.

"I'm sorry J.J. I shouldn't have." Morgan said as he backed out of the bathroom. He regretted kissing his colleague, not because it'd just been something he'd done because of alcohol, but because now he wanted to do it again and again. He'd never thought of her like that before. He'd never let himself think of her like that because if he did it could cause problems in the team, especially if they started a relationship. He didn't even want to begin to think about the lecture they'd all get from Strauss about fraternization rules.

J.J. watched as Morgan slowly backed out of the bathroom. He said he was sorry. She told him "It's okay.", but he didn't say anything else. There was fear in his eyes and she didn't know why. _He doesn't like me like that. He was just drunk. He didn't mean to kiss me. She thought as he left her motel room and tears began to fall down her cheeks. She put things away, turned the lights back off and went back to bed. She cried herself into a fitful sleep. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! :)**

The next morning at breakfast was awkward at best. Morgan and J.J. refused to make eye contact with each other. Hotch, Reid and Rossi didn't seem to notice anything, but the changes didn't go unseen by Emily Prentiss. Once on the plane while Reid and Rossi played a game of chess, Morgan listened to music, and Hotch did paperwork Emily began grilling the younger woman.

"Okay, what'd I miss?" She asked, plopping down next to the media liaison, coffee cup in hand.

J.J. sighed and looked around before answering quietly. "Derek came to my room last night."

The older woman's eyes grew larger than her cup of coffee which she barely managed to swallow a gulp of before saying "Wait what?" Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Did you just say Derek Morgan was in your hotel room last night?" J.J. nodded. "And what was he doing there?" Emily was hopeful the pair had finally seen the light and realized their feelings for each other, but upon seeing the look on the blonde woman's face she was sure that wasn't the case.

"I guess the case hit home harder than we thought. He went to a bar and got in a fight. He showed up, I gave him a band-aid and he left." J.J. said omitting the piece of the puzzle she knew her friend was looking for, hoping to put off the conversation for just a little longer.

"There's something you're not telling me." Emily said, reading her like a book.

"I hate profilers." J.J. mumbled. "He kissed me." She finished.

"So why aren't you two overflowing with new found love?"

Tears came to J.J.'s eyes and threatened to fall, but she managed to hold them back. "He just ran out. He seemed so scared. I guess it was just the alcohol that made him kiss me." She paused to take a deep breath in hopes of composing herself before finishing. "And when he realized what he was doing…" She trailed off.

"Oh Jayje." Emily said, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sure it wasn't just the drinking."

"Then what was it, Em?" J.J. asked as a few silent tears made their way down her face.

"I don't know." Emily said dejectedly.

* * *

Upon their return to Quantico Hotch retreated to his office as usual although it was past normal working hours. J.J. went home as did Reid saying something about a Star Trek marathon on TV. As the team went their separate ways Emily crept through the quiet halls of the BAU in search of everyone's favorite tech goddess. She found Penelope Garcia in her office, staring at her computer screens.

"Garcia we've got a situation." Emily stated causing the blonde woman to jump in surprise.

"Em what are you doing here?" Garcia asked. "Shouldn't you be going home like everyone else?"

"You're still here." She pointed out, and then shook her head. "But that's not why I'm here. You haven't talked to J.J. recently have you?"

"No.."

Emily filled Garcia in on what had happened the night before with two of their favorite colleagues. She knew it wasn't her place to tell J.J.'s story, but she also knew that Garcia would help. She figured she'd find out soon enough and maybe Garcia could talk some sense into Morgan. Someone needed to get them to talk to each other.

"Our poor girl." Garcia said once Emily finished telling her what J.J. had said on the plane. "Where is she?"

"She went home."

"Well she better come see me tomorrow morning or I'm going to come up with a plan of my own and I doubt either one of them would like that." The tech replied determinedly.

"Garcia you are not going to shove them in a supply closet together!" Emily said, remembering the blonde's failed attempt at playing cupid the Valentine's day before where a plan to get J.J. and Morgan together had ended up with Hotch and Reid being stuck in a supply closet together for over two hours. "The last time was a disaster and how would you expect that to help this situation anyway?"

"It'd get them talking at least!" Garcia said, defending herself while Emily rolled her eyes.

"I came to you so we could come up with a plan, but not that kind of a plan. Just talk to Morgan for me?" Emily asked.

"I'll see what I can do."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to foxyfeline for reviewing the last chapter. You rock! :)**

**This is the last chapter I have that is already written so updates might be a little slower now. **

**Don't forget to review and let me know what you think!!!**

That night when Jennifer Jareau finally got to sleep her dreams were of Derek Morgan. He said he loved her, but as soon as she tried to kiss him he was gone. She woke up abruptly when her alarm clock rang and she mentally kicked herself for ever thinking the dream was real. He hadn't even looked at her the day before and she was sure today would be no different. She just hoped she could get him out of her head.

Once at the office J.J. stopped to see Garcia. The tech was waiting for her when she came in. "Hey, how are you? Emily told me what happened?" She said.

"Why am I not surprised?" J.J. laughed, before her demeanor changed to fit her somber mood. "I guess I'm okay. I just don't understand it." She said.

"Well here's a crazy idea" Garcia replied with a sly smile. "Why don't you talk to him?"

"I can't just talk to him!" J.J.'s voice was filled with emotion. "He obviously doesn't want to talk to me."

Garcia laid a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "What makes you think that?"

"He won't even look at me." J.J. said and before Garcia could reply she added. "I should get to my office. I probably have a lot of cases to look through."

Garcia didn't argue. She knew her friend would open up more in time. Right now she just needed some space. "Alright. I'll be here if you need anything." J.J. nodded and fled to her office.

* * *

Derek Morgan was just stepping off the elevator when he saw the team's media liaison leave Garcia's office and make a beeline for her own. She'd seemed upset since that night in her hotel room, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to her. Somehow the seasoned profiler was able to convince himself that they'd both be just fine in time. He told himself the awkwardness and constant avoiding each other would go away in a couple weeks, though he knew it wasn't true. He couldn't look at her without thinking of the kiss they shared and imagining what it would be like to do it again.

Suddenly Morgan was pulled from his thoughts by seeing an angry Garcia walking towards him. _This doesn't look good. _He thought before attempting to pretend he hadn't seen her and walking to his desk in the bullpen where he hoped he'd be safe from her making a scene.

"Derek Morgan stop right there." Penelope Garcia said sternly as Morgan's hand reached to open the door to the bullpen.

"Hey Garcia." He said while trying to give her a slight smile in hopes of lightening her mood. "What's going on Baby Girl?"

"Don't get cute with me. I'm mad at you." She said, pouting. "Join me in my office?" Morgan reluctantly followed her to her office where she closed the door before punching him in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?!" He asked.

Garcia sat down in her chair before replying. "For being a stupid man."

Morgan rolled his eyes. "I'm assuming you've talked to J.J.?"

"Yes I did and you broke her heart."

He looked at her in shock at her choice of words. "It's not _that_ big of a deal Garcia. Don't you think you're exaggerating just a little?"

"No I'm not. You're such a guy." She said, shaking her head. "J.J. thinks the only reason you kissed her was because you were drunk and when you realized what you were doing you were so disgusted you left."

Morgan was dumbfounded. He never meant to make her think that and now he didn't know how to fix it. The conclusions she'd come to were the farthest thing from the truth.

"I see I've left you speechless." Garcia started. "Which is good because I knew it couldn't be true. You need to talk to her."

"I know, I just don't know what I'm supposed to say. I doubt a simple 'I'm sorry' would cover it."

"You're on your own when it comes to word choices, but you need to tell her how you feel. Everyone but you two can see it. You're perfect for each other. Just give it a chance."

"But what would that do to the team? Strauss-"

Garcia cut him off. "Don't worry about Strauss. Worry about you."

"I've gotta think." Morgan said while walking out the door and towards the bullpen.

"Don't take too long." Garcia called after him. "It might be too late if you do." She added, quietly to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**This took a lot longer than it should have! School has been keeping me really busy. I know it's short, but I figured a short chapter was better than no chapter? Let me know what you think! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!**

Jennifer Jareau sat at her desk trying to figure out what to do. She knew she couldn't stay there all day, but she didn't want to leave and have to confront Derek Morgan. She was content just watching him from her window where he couldn't see her. Emily had stopped by earlier to see how she was doing and to tell her to talk to him. J.J. said she'd think about it. She cursed the lull in case files they seemed to be having, wishing for something to come up and take everyone's mind off of her recent incident with Morgan.

J.J. had been absently staring out her window watching Reid spout mindless facts to Emily and Morgan much to their amusement when Aaron Hotchner came into her office. "We've got a case J.J." he said.

"Nothing came across my desk." She replied, confused.

"I know. It came straight to me. Can you get the team in the conference room?" J.J. nodded her response and Hotch left as she collected her things and called to Reid, Emily, and Morgan, telling them they had a case. They arrived in the conference room to find Rossi already there and Hotch ready to present the case. J.J. took a seat next to Rossi and was relieved when Emily sat next to her, leaving her as far away from Morgan as possible.

~*CM*~

The case took them to California where a man was killing women. Under the darkness of night he broke into their homes and killed them, leaving their bodies for friends or relatives to find. In the beginning he killed just once a week, but it was quickly becoming an everyday occurrence. The team was at a loss with J.J. and Morgan both being distracted, not to mention avoiding each other like the plague. Emily and Garcia had been watching them, but they knew nothing would change unless they talked.

Finally, they got a break in the case. With the UNSUB's rapid escalation he'd also gained a new level of sloppiness. He'd been extremely careful before. They could find no DNA, fingerprints, or other evidence. Then he slipped up.

"The forensic techs found a fingerprint!" Reid informed the team with a smile.

"Any hits yet?" Hotch asked as a new air of hope filled the room.

"Garcia's running it now." Reid sat down next to J.J. and looked to Emily and Morgan. "Any luck on victimology?"

Morgan mumbled an unaudiable response and Emily said "Aside from the obvious we got nothing." Each victim had blonde hair and though J.J. didn't seem concerned, the others worried.

"Garcia's still running background checks on the latest victims." Rossi reminded the team. "She could still find a way to connect them."

"She better do it fast." Morgan voiced what everyone was thinking. "The longer we take the more women are killed."

"Then let's get back to work." Hotch instructed.

J.J. had remained silent throughout the whole exchange. She was unable to focus, but she couldn't help it. Her mind was in overdrive thinking of Morgan. Her friends had told her he couldn't have possibly meant to make her feel bad and he genuinely cared for her, he was just scared and unsure of the way she felt. The most common piece of advice she'd gotten was to talk to him, but how could she do that when after almost a week he could still barely even look at her? She was at a loss and so after shaking thoughts of that night from her mind she tried to bury herself in the case.


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally a new chapter! The end of school had me very busy and just when I got started again I had some computer problems, but now I'm back! I've got the next chapter already written. I just need to type it. Let me know what you think of this one! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! They really keep me going. **

Derek Morgan sat at the table mindlessly going through case files. More specifically he was looking through the same case file. He shook his head, willing his headache to go away. For the first time he wanted to just wait for Garcia to find something instead of looking blindly for other leads. Usually he'd be working hard, trying to find something before Garcia. Today, however, his mind was in other places.

Morgan's thoughts centered around a certain blonde media liaison. He couldn't believe what Garcia had told him. J.J. couldn't really think he'd been disgusted to realize what he'd done in his drunken stupor. Could she? He'd been scared, afraid of the feelings he'd kept bottled up since the day they met. He knew he'd always liked her in more than a professional way and deep down he'd always hoped they could be more than just friends. According to what Garcia implied she felt the same way, but weren't the consequences greater than the rewards if anything happened between them? They could both lose their jobs or be transferred. She'd worked so hard to get where she was as had he. Who in their right mind would knowingly mess that up?

The longer Derek thought the more he realized that if they both felt the same way, if they both loved each other, it wouldn't mess things up. It could only make them better. Wait, love? Where did that come from? He thought. He could feel his headache increasing as he tried once again to focus on his work.

The profilers were soon interrupted. Garcia found a match to the evidence their unsub left behind. They were now on the hunt for a man named Allan Quinn.

* * *

The team was able to trace Quinn to the apartment building where he lived. As they stood outside the building strapping on FBI vests and readying their weapons Hotch gave orders.

"Reid, you and I are with the SWAT team going straight to his apartment. Rossi, you and Prentiss cover the back entrance and I want Morgan and J.J. covering the stairs." He said to each agent in turn.

J.J. cringed at hearing the last sentence. She glanced at Emily who looked at her apologetically. _I managed to avoid him throughout the whole case and now we're forced together. I sure hope we catch him fast. She thought before Hotch gave the signal and they all stormed the building. Each team member took their places and waited for everything to start. _

"_Allan Quinn, FBI, we have a warrant for your arrest. Open up!" Hotch yelled into the door of the man's apartment for the second time. He gave a nod to one of the men of the SWAT team who then broke the door down._

_Hotch and Reid went in first with their guns drawn. The hallway that led to the door was quickly cleared, but once the reached the living room they found their unsub half out the window, climbing onto the fire escape._

_Instead of listening to the voices telling him to stop Quinn continued out the window. He looked down only to see police cars with flashing lights so he began his climb upward._

"_He's on the fire escape going up." Hotch said into his radio before following Quinn out the window. _


	6. Chapter 6

**This looked a lot longer before I typed it. So did the last one. lol But anyway, thanks to Swifty, zzz-zzz84, and mileycyrus13 for reviewing! I hope you like this one too!**

J.J. and Morgan were awkwardly standing in the third floor stairwell where Quinn's apartment was. They heard the door being broken down in the hallway followed by a loud commotion filled with unknown voices screaming inaudible words.

Then Hotch's voice on the radio said "He's on the fire escape going up!" Adrenaline shot through Morgan at the words. He looked to J.J. and said one word, "Roof", before running up the stairs with the blonde behind him.

*~CM~*

Quinn reached the roof first. The small pebbles that covered the top of the building crackled under his feet. He looked wildly in each direction, searching for a place to hide or a decent escape route. The door to the stairs suddenly burst open. He maneuvered himself behind the two agents who emerged and followed quietly behind them as they moved closer to the fire escape, looking for him.

Morgan and J.J. peered over the edge of the building seeing only Hotch nearing them. "Hotch" Morgan called to him.

The senior agent looked up. He managed to yell "J.J., Morgan, lookout!" before Quinn came from behind them and knocked J.J.'s gun out of her hands before grabbing her.

Quinn held J.J. in front of him and slowly backed away from Morgan and Hotch who had reached the roof.

"Let her go Quinn!" Morgan yelled as he walked towards them slowly, the barrel of his gun pointing towards the man's head.

"I won't!" He yelled back. "Don't come any closer." He tightened his hold on J.J. with one arm around her neck and the other around her waist.

"This isn't going to help you any." Hotch said, trying to reason with him. "You kill her and you'll only be in more trouble. Just let her go and come with us."

Quinn thought about Hotch's words. His grip on J.J. loosened. She stood still waiting for it to over. It look as though he was letting her go, but as soon as Morgan began to lower his gun Quinn spun around and flung J.J. off the side of the building. Then he ran towards the stairs where he was caught by local police.

Hotch and Morgan ran to the edge as the heard J.J. scream. Then suddenly she stopped.

**Ok...I know it's mean, but I just couldn't resist. XD Reviews motivate me to write faster. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry about the long wait! Real life got in the way for a while. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! **

Hotch and Morgan looked over the edge of the building and were stunned to see J.J. hanging in midair. Finally, they saw it. A chain that had been laying on the roof became tangled around J.J.'s ankle as Quinn spun her around and pushed her off the building. The other end was attached to a part of the ventilation system on the roof and held her dangling high above the pavement below.

"Help!" J.J. screamed. "Morgan help me!" She thought Quinn was letting her go until suddenly he spun her around and tossed her over the edge. The sidewalk and the cars below were a blur as she fell to what she thought was sure to be her death, but then she stopped. She looked around, confused before she looked up and saw the chain that was saving her life. Many thoughts rushed through her mind at once. The most prominent was that of the fact that she wasn't ready to die yet. She had so much more to do in her life and there were things she'd never get to finish or fix if she died now.

Morgan's heart broke at the sound of her cries for help. He looked over the edge and tried to count the windows between himself and J.J. to see what floor she was in front of. "I'm coming J.J.!" He called to her and ran for the stairs.

By that time people on the ground who had heard J.J.'s screams were gathered below watching with horror. Rossi and Prentiss had walked around the building wondering what everyone was so worried about. They followed everyone's gaze and looked up, their jaws dropping in terror. The two agents looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

* * *

Tears formed in J.J.'s eyes as the seconds slowly turned to minutes. Hanging upside down she could see people on the street staring up at her with wide eyes. She could hear the gasps, screams, and cries of amazement from below. People in buildings across the street flocked to the windows. "Morgan! Hotch!" She yelled again, her voice heavy with emotion.

"Morgan's trying to find a way to get you down Jayje! Just hang on!" Hotch yelled to her. He didn't know what Morgan had planned, but he hoped that whatever it was it would be over quickly.

* * *

Derek Morgan raced down the stairs. At each floor he stepped into the hallway and looked out the window hoping to see his friend. Finally as he looked out the window at the end of the fifth floor hallway he could see J.J. dangling in front of it.

The table and chair in front of the window were quickly thrown out of the way as Derek searched for a way to open the window. He found the look to be stuck closed and with frustration and anger he elbowed the window as hard as he could, breaking it.

At the sound of broken glass behind her J.J. quickly turned to see Morgan watching her, concern written all over his face. The tears in her eyes and the worry in her face caused his heart to ache for her as he broke out the rest of the window and climbed to the sill. Derek hung on the window edge with his right hand and reached out to J.J. with the other.

"Derek." She mumbled as tears started to fall. She grabbed his outstretched hand with her own and he slowly pulled her towards the window.

"I got you." Derek said as he pulled her into the building. He set her down on the window sill before reaching around her and untangling the chain from her ankle.

J.J. wrapped her arms around Morgan as she began to cry softly. They sat on the floor of the hallway, holding each other tightly, until the rest of the team made their way to them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Nothing like a snow day with a 12 hour power outage to help with writers block! lol Sorry for the long wait. Real life's been very busy lately! The changes in the show have really got me down too. I've stopped watching CM, but hopefully we can keep J.J. and Emily going in the fanfic world! I'm a little rusty when it comes to writing so sorry if this chapter's not as good as the others! Let me know what you think! :)**

"Oh my god, J.J. are you ok?" Emily asked as she ran towards her two friends.

Morgan released his grip on the blonde as she looked up. Her tear streaked face was something no one on the team had seen before. As the reached the two agents on the floor their friends gave gungs and expressed their concerns in turn.

"I was so scared!" Emily said. "What happened?"

Morgan related his story as he and J.J. stood up.

After a few more moments Hotch suggested they all go back to the hotel and get some rest. The plane would head for home the next day.

* * *

Later that night Emily Prentiss knocked on J.J.'s door. The two women sat and talked for almost an hour before Emily could bring up the topic she knew J.J. most needed to discuss.

"Can't you see it wasn't just the alcohol now?" She asked.

"Em, I really don't think I want to talk about this right now." J.J. replied, running a hand through her hair. She had hoped her friend would wait for this conversation, but she knew Emily wasn't about to let her avoid it.

"I know you don't, but I also know you need to."

"Have I ever told you I'm not a big fan of profilers?" J.J. said with a small grin.

Emily laughed. "I think you might have mentioned it at some point." She smiled.

J.J.'s face became serious. "How can you be so sure?" She asked. "I mean I've always known Derek and I were friends. We all are. I would think any of you would have done what he did had you had the opportunity. I know I would for all of you."

"That's true Jayje, but you should have seen his face as he looked over the edge of that roof. Besides, do you think anyone else would have acted like he did when he got you in the building?"

"I suppose you're right." She said.

Emily left soon after their conversation. J.J. was left with her thoughts. She thought long and hard about what she should do and she finally came to a conclusion. The day's events had showed her that she shouldn't waste anymore time. Anything could happen and she didn't want to lose her chance to tell Derek Morgan how she felt. She was nervous. She didn't know how he'd take it or when she'd get the chance to talk to him, but she knew it was something she needed to do.

* * *

The plane ride home was quiet. After the initial 'Hello's and 'How are you's the team members did their own thing, reflecting on the case. Hotch worked on the pile of paperwork he had and Morgan listen to his ipod while playing a game on his cell phone. Reid and Rossi played a game of chess. The two women sat at the table watched the clouds out the window occasionally exchanging words.

Penelope Garcia was there to greet her friends as they arrived at Quantico. She hugged J.J. tightly and gave Morgan a meaningful look. He knew she wanted him to talk to J.J., but he couldn't do it in front of the team.

The team quickly dispersed and made their way home, happy for the four day weekend Strauss had given them.


End file.
